Charles Lanrezac

Charles Lanrezac (31 July 1852-18 January 1925) was a French Army General de Division who commanded the French 5th Army at the start of World War I.

Biography
Charles Lanrezac was born in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe on 31 July 1852 to an aristocratic French family, and he served in the French Army during the Franco-Prussian War. He graduated from the Ecole Militaire in 1879 and served in Tunisia before being promoted to colonel in 1902, Brigadier-General in 1906, and General de Division in 1911. In 1914, he was appointed to the French Supreme War Council to replace Joseph Gallieni, and he took command of the French 5th Army. He cautioned Joseph Joffre about the strength of the German invasion of Belgium in August 1914, but Joffre ignored Lanrezac's advice, leading to nirthern France being overwhelmed during the Battle of the Frontiers and the Battle of Mons. He fought against the German 2nd Army at the Battle of the Sambre, where he was overwhelmed and forced to retreat towards Paris. He was replaced by Louis Franchet d'Esperey just before the First Battle of the Marne, having been overwhelmed by the strain of command. He died in Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1925 at the age of 72.